Welcome to Mutant High
by Vandalia LaRue
Summary: Have you ever known death was coming? Have you ever stared into death's eyes, yet live to tell the tale? I have. I was one second away from being nothing but a fond memory to everyone I knew...then everything came to a halt. Everything except me.
1. It All Happened So Fast

"Scott, Jean, Storm,"

the Professor's voice rang loud and clear into their minds. They couldn't help but notice how he sounded a little troubled. Scott and Jean were in the middle of a defense class, ending it early due to the urgency in their Professor's voice. Storm on the other hand was in the middle of a science class but also abruptly ended it to be at the side of Scott and Jean.

They found the Professor using his prize possession, a machine he called Cerebro. Cerebro can locate any and all mutants at any given time, or it can also be used to find humans. While his school functioned normally and he wasn't teaching a physics or philosophy class, the Professor enjoyed spending time here in the chamber that contained Cerebro.

The door opened and his three most advanced students, or as he preferred to call them now, 'colleagues' stepped inside, the students that the Professor proudly proclaimed on a daily basis were not only just students but friends and some of the finest teachers the school would ever see. The Professor removed the head-gear that must be worn to allow Cerebro to work properly and turned his attention towards his students, no: friends.

"I'm picking up a new mutant. It seems she stopped a car crash and now everything but herself is frozen around her. We're dealing with someone very strong and someone who is not in control of her powers. Get to her, immediately. I'll send the coordinates to the jet. Quickly, quickly!" The Professor exclaimed.

The three 'friends' had no time to ask questions-those would have to wait for later. Without another word uttered by the Professor, the three excelling students suited up in the hallway into what is known as their "X-Gear" and ran as quickly as they could to a jet that looked very much like something out of a futuristic movie or perhaps something from Area 51, untested and unheard of, unseen by the normal persons eye. But it was real, very much so.

Jean took the pilots seat, activating the jet and Storm took the right-hand man's position, Scott taking the left side of the helm.

"Right, Professor, we've got the coordinates. I will let you know when we get there."

Jean said within her mind. Jean could read minds as well, but not nearly as well as the Professor could. The three of them, Jean, Scott and Storm, they could be miles, states, countries away and the Professor could still hear them...being so accustomed to their mind. The Professor had known Scott for twenty-five years all thanks to Scott's brother. He'd known Storm even longer. Then there was Jean, who the Professor loved unconditionally-he'd met her for the first time twenty years ago almost.

From underneath the basketball gym, which currently wasn't occupied, thankfully; the floor parted, then the ceiling sixty feet above opened, and the jet came out in a blur. Of course the school probably felt the jarring of the speed but the jet itself sailed peacefully through the sky thanks to the know-how of Jean who had become an ace at flying the X-Jet.

xxxxxxxxx;

When the day started, it felt normal. I thought today would be just like every other day. I knew my Mother had errands to run and I felt bored at home, so naturally being a Saturday the only thing I wanted to do was go with my Mother. I had just turned fourteen about a week ago now. Life had never really been going so well before.

I felt as if I had the best of friends, the best family that anyone could ask for and the best life there could ever possibly be. Nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen. No sign, no warning, nothing. I was staring straight into death's menacing gaze. I didn't notice, of course...until it was almost too late.

No one can ever prepare you for these things. The most you can wish for is for everything...to stop.

"MOM WATCH OUT!"

I shrieked as another car swerved over to miss something in the road and was on a head on collision path now with my Mother's car. There was nothing we could do. Sure Mom could hit the breaks and try to turn but we'd hit the car in the next lane in a T-Bone accident as they referred to it.

We were stuck, no way to get out of this situation. Going fifty miles an hour surely, if our cars hit head on, it would kill us. It would kill us all. I could see my life start to flash before my eyes. The bad times, the good times. Putting my hands out in front of me as if it was the only thing I knew how to do to protect myself at that moment, as if that was going to do any good, I screamed...

"STOP!"

And everything did. I had drawn up on that left side, facing towards the right, hiding my face sort of; my arms still out in front of me. I was bracing for impact, for the worst...but impact never came. Slowly I came unglued from around myself and looked around...everything was frozen, at a stand still. I turned my attention towards my Mother, hoping I wasn't alone in this situation.

"Mom?"

I asked quietly, waving my hand in front of my Mom's terror stricken face...but she didn't move. I was alone. Utterly alone. Slowly I got out of the car and looked around after I had settled down just a bit. I couldn't worry about the car hitting me now, it would be silly: everything was frozen. A balloon was up in the sky, like it had been let go by a little kid a moment or two ago and even it was frozen. A flock of birds going over as well; this looked straight out of a Bob Ross painting. My life was now a painting. Not a very good one at that. Who would paint this scene right here? The one I had just stepped out of the car and into the street to witness. Two cars about to collide. Three peoples lives about to be taken.

"Did I do this?"

My voice was quiet, as if I was ever going to receive an answer, I was alone; I kept saying that in my head. I'm alone. I didn't know what to do. The only thing I knew to do was get my Mother and the male driver in the other car to safety. So that's what I began doing. Taking my Mother out of the car first, I laid her down on a bench at a restaurant right across the street. Then I did the same with the guy in the other car.

As if by magic, or perhaps just sheer dumb luck, the minute I laid him down on a bench at the restaurant, things unfroze. You could hear the cars pummel into each other...but no one was in them. Other cars screeched to a halt and you could hear drivers say,

"What happened to the people that were just in these cars?"

I just hoped they didn't look over here...but they did. What would they say, what would they think? Would everyone brush it off as an act of God? A miracle... No. Accusing eyes and pointing fingers came my way.

"Look! That's the young girl that was just in that car!"

A few of the drivers pointed over to me. Looking down, my Mother and the other man of course were looking around, dazed and confused. I didn't know where to begin explaining. How could I? I honestly hadn't even wrapped my head around it yet myself.

"Winter...where am I? We were...we were about to crash,"

My Mother said kind of breathlessly as she looked towards the road, seeing the cars crashed in a horrendous way. I was right, no one could or would have survived that tangled catastrophe.

"How the fuck did we get out of that?"

The man asked and looked right at me. I was baffled that he sounded so...angry. Angry not to be dead, perhaps? Did he purposely try to cause the accident?

"You did something. You, how did you do that? You got us out of that."

The man seemed rather grateful all of a sudden, not angry, that he had been saved, but my Mother on the other hand...that was a different story entirely.

"Winter, what the hell did you do? What kind of a freak are you?"

My Mother asked, sounding rather icy. I started to feel tears come to my eyes and I shook my head, taking off and running away. I ran as fast as I could-as if I could outrun what had just happened. I couldn't face her. I had just saved her life, mine, and another innocent man and here she was...calling me a freak! I.. I saved her. She could be dead if I'd have chosen not to get her out of that car!

Her life was in my hands and I had chosen to save her. I had saved my Mother's life, yet I was a freak?! I knew I was a freak! No one should have the power to stop a crash from happening... It didn't make me different, it made me a freak. A sideshow experiment. How had I done it? I've never...done something like that before!

I found myself running all the way back home and when I got there all I wanted to do was run up to my bedroom and pack a bag and run as far as I could in another direction. I was so scared that I knew my legs wouldn't give out for hours...

I didn't expect to run into three people; two women and a young man, older than myself of course but still young enough to look attractive, standing in my living room. How they got in, I didn't know. What they wanted, I didn't know that either. I'd never seen them before. I had to admit, the moment I took to actually look at them, their suits did look pretty cool.

I was going to freak out and scream-a flash of them being robbers or kidnappers coming into my mind, but just as soon as it came into my head, something took it out and calmed me. Finally as I caught my breath and my tears stopped coming down so heavily, which ruined every bit of makeup I had spent an hour in front of the mirror putting on that day, I got up enough energy and courage to ask...

"Who are you people, what are you doing in my house?"

It came out sounding like a dog panting, but that was understandable to me even if it wasn't to them. The first one to speak was the red-haired female. I couldn't help but think, she was very beautiful. Tall, athletic figure and her long gorgeous red locks.

"My name is Jean. We've come to help you. This is Scott and Storm. We're like you, Winter. We can do things that others can't."

I shook my head a little in disbelief, biting on my bottom lip as I did so. Her voice was kind of enchanting and a piece of me wanted to believe her but I was far too skeptical. Maybe I got that from my parents.

"Wait so you know what I did? You know that I stopped the crash? What do you mean that you can do other things that people can't?"

I asked inquisitively. This wasn't setting well with me... How could these people know... I walked into the living room more so and looked out the window; I saw it going from sunny, to very cloudy, and rather fast at that. A storm could never blow up this fast. Of course, I thought I was doing this.

"I'm not meaning to!"

I shrieked but the three chuckled and Scott placed his finger on my cheek, pushing my head to look at Storm, whose eyes were completely white as if she was...dead. As the color set back into her eyes, the clouds outside started to disappear.

"My name is Storm for a reason, Winter. I can even control what you are named after, the winter elements. If it involves weather, I can control and manipulate it, even go so far as to create it."

The elder dark skinned woman explained. I looked back towards the male, seeing he was wearing sunglasses over his eyes, in the house no less.

"Your power has something to do with those glasses doesn't it?"

I asked, it was an assumption, and I hoped I wasn't wrong. The last thing I wanted to do was earn more chuckles from these three.

"I mean, who would wear glasses in doors, unless you just have sensitive eyes. If that's it, I'm really sorry." I apologized before hand, almost interrupting him from speaking.

"No, Winter, you're right. My power is a little too strong to show you unlike Storm's. I can describe it in a...laments way. I shoot beams from my eyes,"

he admitted, it wasn't the best way to describe it, though. Very vague. But I got the general gist of it.

"Like, laser beams, to put it another way. I don't have my proper visor on at the moment, or I could show you a low beam. I left it in the jet," the male said and my eyes widened just a little.

"A jet? Wow, are you guys from the CIA or something?" I could definitely understand if the CIA had sent them... the CIA knew everything, including when an idiot like me would freeze time.

The three elder adults couldn't help but laugh, shaking their heads no in unison.

"We are from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. The students, your age, younger and even older, all have powers. Just like we do. You aren't alone in this, Winter."

The red-head named Jean said softly and I raised my brow questioningly. She hadn't displayed her power to me, just yet.

"I haven't seen your power," I said to Jean and she smiled just a little and within a moment, I was starting to float up off of the couch. It didn't frighten me, in fact, it surprised and delighted me. I felt almost...giddy.

"W-whoa!" I giggled a bit, floating there in the air like I was as light as a feather.

"I can move things with my mind. I'm a telekinetic. I can also read peoples minds, and other telepathic abilities, but not without their permission of course."

Jean said honestly and let me fall back gently onto the couch. The three standing before me were most certainly rare and infinite. But I was very strong myself. I didn't know that at that moment, I'd ever become more powerful than I currently thought I was. I didn't know that in a couple years I would become even more unique.

"Jean, how are you doing with the girl?" Xavier's voice came into Jean's head and she replied to him with the thought, "Magnificently. I'll report more later, Professor."

The three of them took a seat next to me upon the couch. Jean placed her hand upon my arm and gave me a warm smile. Her smile seemed almost as bright red as her hair did. It warmed me from the inside out it seemed.

"Can you tell us everything that happened Winter?"

I nodded slowly and began explaining to them exactly how everything occurred. From getting up out of bed this morning and feeling like a normal fourteen year old girl who celebrated her birthday last week, to staring death in it's cruel face and somehow, preventing it. To even telling them, that my Mother had called me a freak. Just thinking of my Mother calling me such a thing made tears spring back into my eyes. Even more so: thinking of what would have happened if I wouldn't have prevented the accident. My death-or maybe even, my living and my Mother's death.

Storm felt rather blistered that a Mother, after being saved from a horrendous death, would say something so cruel to her young daughter. Storm immediately placed a hand upon my shoulder, looking deeply into my eyes.

"You are not a freak, Winter. You save lives, how could you possibly be a freak?"

When Storm put it that way, I felt better that I did what I had done. Maybe I wasn't a freak. Maybe I wasn't so alone as I thought I was on the run home. Here I was, sitting here with three other people just like myself that could do extraordinary things. Surely their gifts had saved people before. Surely my gift could save someone again if I needed to use it.

"It all happened so fast. I wish I knew how I did what I did. I'd do it again and show you but I just have no clue... All I know is, I shoved my hands out in front of me, what a stupid thing to do, like it could have saved me... And I screamed stop, like anyone else would have in that situation," I said quietly, sighing. Storm rubbed over my back gently, trying to sooth me.

"It's alright, Winter. You should probably take a rest until your parents come home. We'll be here waiting until they do. You won't be alone, not for a second."

The darker complected woman promised and I nodded, leaning back a little on the couch, sitting up right still and closed my eyes. It would be a while, I thought to myself before I drifted off into a slight doze.

It came in handy, Jean's mind reading, because when Winter thought that her Father wouldn't even get off of work for another three hours...it helped the three X-Men know that they had about three hours to talk with the Professor through Jean about Winter and her situation. Three hours to figure out what all they were going to say and do, to get Winter to come back to the Institute with them. Better yet, what they were going to tell her parents.

The Professor made it clear, her power is powerful, just as Jean's was when they first developed and Winter's power is just as unstable. Jean herself felt rather...dedicated, like she absolutely had to see this through. Make sure the girl would be okay from here on out. It felt, rather personal.


	2. Just Take Me Away

When I awoke, I was still in the living room but instead I was on the sofa underneath the window. I had been moved here and a blanket placed on top of me. I could see the three people from earlier, the ones who introduced themselves as Jean, Scott and Storm. I could also see my parents; they were talking all together. I supposed they were keeping their voices down as to not wake me. I could only hope that what they were saying were good things and no fights had ensued while I slumbered.

Jean heard my thoughts and looked over to me with a smile- I sort of felt a jump of my heart, like I'd been caught peeping where I didn't belong. Eavesdropping so to speak. But Jean's smile was warm and humble. The next thing I knew, everyone's eyes were on me, not just hers. Slowly, I raised up off of the sofa and walked over towards them, still feeling so very mentally exhausted. I knew my day was far from over, though.

"Why are you looking at me that way Mom?"

I asked my Mother, noticing that... she definitely didn't look grateful towards me. Not grateful that I had saved her life or that I wasn't dead myself. It was more of a 'I'm afraid of you, you freak' type of glare.

"Winter... baby... what happened today..."

"What happened today, I had no control over Mom. But at least it happened or we'd probably both be dead right now. Or even worse, I would be dead and you'd be burying a daughter this time next week. Or possibly even worse than that, I'd be burying my Mom next week."

I said, trying to defend myself; trying to make her see there were several different scenarios to what could have happened and thank God-none of them happened. I felt that same firm hand on my back that I had felt earlier: it was the darker complected female, Storm. I guessed she was trying to brace me, calm me down, as to not go off on my Mother anymore than I already was. Good thing, my temper really was starting to boil up.

"What happened today, better not happen again. You're both alive and let's leave it at that," my Father had begun to speak, "I will not tolerate a freak for a daughter. If it's a mental illness you have, then let's just hope it isn't contagious."

He said rather hatefully. I was just about ready to bark at him as to keep myself from crying, when Storm did instead. That, I was probably very grateful for, without knowing it just yet.

"How dare you refer to the mutant X gene as a mental illness. We may not be curable but we are not mentally ill. Your daughter has a God given gift. Whether you can see that or not, it is true. Your daughter saved your wife's life, she saved her own in the process. The least you could do is be grateful. Like she said, Sir, you could be burying your daughter and wife next week if her gift hadn't have saved their lives!"

"So is that what she is? A mutant? Even worse than a freak of nature! Even worse than a mental illness! How could you speak so highly and proud of... a mutant?!"

Venom was in his words as he looked over to me, then back at the long white haired female. I felt tears starting to come to my eyes as I took off running upstairs to my bedroom. I hadn't even wanted to run up there but I had to go somewhere away from them. My parents made no effort whatsoever to go after me, their own daughter, so Jean took it upon herself to go up there and try to console me. I felt pretty inconsolable.

After all, Jean had been in her shoes at one point in her life. Before Xavier had found her and took her underneath his wing. Jean tapped lightly on my bedroom door, I immediately hollered a 'GO AWAY' and when Jean opened the door anyway, she saw me laying on my stomach on the bed, head in my pillow, crying away.

"Winter, can we please talk? I know you're aching from their words, but please, they are just words. Untrue ones at that."

Jean's voice was soft and her face looked genuinely concerned when I looked over to her, tears streaming down my face, ruining the rest of the little bit of eyeliner and mascara I'd put on before I left with my Mother earlier today. Jean sat down lightly upon my plush bed and placed a hand upon my arm, looking down into my eyes.

"W-what am I going to do Jean...? M-my parents hate me... I don't want to be here with them. I don't want to be where I'm not wanted."

"You don't have to be here, Winter. You can come to the Institute, with us. I promise you, you're wanted at the Institute."

"But.. isn't it a school for Gifted Youngsters.. not.. an Institute.. An institute, sounds scary. An Institute sounds like something... somewhere that my Dad would want to send his ill daughter."

It did confuse me a little bit that Jean had previously called it a school but then had called it just now an Institute. But even right now, anywhere sounded better than right here. I knew I couldn't keep living with my parents, they didn't want me.

"The school is also called the Institute for Higher Learning. You being a mutant, you deserve higher learning. You'll need it with your gift." Jean went on a moment later, "The Professor is the one that sent the three of us here. Professor Xavier, who owns the school, wants you to come back with us, so you can learn to control your powers. Develop them properly instead of being afraid of them. So you don't have to live in fear of what you are or the constant fear of never knowing when you'll activate your powers again. You will meet so many more people with powers just like us, make friends with them. As I said earlier, there will be girls your age."

Jean was being honest, the Xavier Institute, for a girl in Winter's position...it would be a God-send. Jean's own parents had thought her mutation was a 'mental illness' when she was younger. And that's why nearly twenty years ago, she made the easy decision of going to the Institute with Professor Xavier and his friend, Erik Lensherr.

"Just take me away from here Jean. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be constantly reminded that I saved my Mom's life and she isn't even happy about it." I admitted quietly.

"Pack some bags Winter, you'll have your own room at the school, I promise. If you need or want any help, please, just ask."

Of course this made me a little happier, to think I'd perhaps have a better room than I had here at home. A better life soon, better than the one currently going for me here. People around me that accepted me and didn't judge me for my mutation; maybe one day a new set of parents that didn't hate my guts.

While I stayed upstairs and packed my belongings, Jean went downstairs to tell my parents or at least try to. Of course, even though they now hated their 'freak of nature' daughter, the last thing they wanted was for strangers to be taking her elsewhere, before they had a chance to make Winter's life even more miserable, sending her to a mental illness facility themselves.

"YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER!"

Winter's father hollered out, of course Scott was gearing up for a fight, preparing to take his glasses off when Jean stopped him. It was hard for Scott to remember sometimes that, even though this man may be a dick, he wasn't another mutant and most certainly wouldn't survive Scott's laser beam, a full blast one at that.

I walked slowly down the stairs now with both of my duffel bags, full of the belongings and clothes that I cared most about, and of course, liked the most. The rest, I didn't care if I lost or not. I took what mattered. I took what I didn't care if my parents bought me or not. I didn't care about what could just be replaced.

"I'm ready,"

I said softly, looking between my parents; my Mother looking as if she was scared and my Father looking as if he was ready to kill me. My Father trying now to push past Scott to grab me, or at least grab my belongings to try and halt me further from leaving. I jumped back, running to the door to get away from him, where I felt I'd be safe.

Jean stopped him however before he could get his hands on me, by making him hover in his place. Jean was never one to use her powers this way, but it beat Scott turning the man into a melted human Popsicle.

"Ultimately, it's her choice. We would never do something that was against her will, unlike you."

Storm commented as the three X-Men and I, the newest student of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, left the house; without speaking another word to my Mother and Father. Though I had about a billion rather hateful things I'd absolutely love to say to them, after all, they'd said such hateful things to me, so maybe they didn't deserve a proper goodbye.

They took me back to the X-Jet that was two blocks away in a field. Of course I was shocked to be boarding such a massive, well, I was going to call it a plane within my mind but... plane was an understatement. But a Jet seemed to be an understatement as well, that's what they referred to it as however. It was my first time going on one, my nerves starting to jump. I was kind of afraid of heights.

"Trust me, you'll be alright. We fly this thing all the time,"

Jean reassured me as Storm helped me get buckled in. Surprisingly, it was rather complicated to me...but Storm made it seem very easy. Jean took the pilots chair and Storm her right-hand man. Scott sat in the next back chair, next to me, as to try and keep me calm and for me not to feel quite so lonely. He made this apparent in many, many ways. When the jet began to roar to life, to try and keep myself calm even more so, I grabbed Scott's hand and squeezed hard and closed my eyes tightly.

"Just try not to freeze us all," Scott teased some and I felt a very small smile creep onto my lips. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad thing after all... maybe my day wasn't going to keep getting worse from here.


	3. The Xavier Institute

I only held onto Scott's hand for about the first five minutes of the ride within the X-Jet, as he at last referred to it as. I started to look around and take in my surroundings of the beast of a vehicle, if it could even be classified as a vehicle...much less be classified as a beast. It was much more beastlier than beast.

"So how old did you say you are again Winter?"

Storm asked from the co-pilot's chair to make conversation with me for our couple of hour journey back to the X-Mansion. My nerves were still fairly jumpy but not as bad as previously. Sure it hadn't taken them that long to arrive there in my hometown from the school, only because they were on an immediate mission; but now that they had time to spare, it paid off to be a little leisurely. Gave time for Jean to steer the plane and also speak with Professor Xavier within her mind.

"I turned fourteen last week... I feel so young, next to you three. I really hope I won't be the youngest at the school." I commented with a bit of a giggle. Neither three of the X-Men took the comment hatefully. Storm was the eldest out of the three; she had been the Professor's student the longest.

"I assure you, you aren't the youngest. I believe our youngest is a six year old boy," Scott said, trying to think real hard about the youngest student at the Mansion currently. It was hard to keep up with all of them. He'd been teaching classes for the last six or so years-he was no longer a student, and he'd seen a lot of students come and go in that time.

Storm and Scott knew that Jean had taken an extra liking to the girl flying with them today. They were certain why she did, because her own home situation seemed to be similar to Winter's. Jean's story was no secret to Storm nor Scott. Especially not to Scott, since they were 'involved.'

Plus, Winter's power to freeze time... it seemed to be a psychic or telepathic type of gift as well. Perhaps, Storm thought, Winter and Jean are even more alike than Jean knows. Looking over to her red-headed friend, Jean must have heard that because she had a soft, humble, yet slightly troubling smile upon her lips.

Jean had already guessed that Winter would be a lot like her. Powers wise, strength wise, an uncontrollable power wise. But that's what the Institute is for, to help you learn to control it... to help you learn, not to let it control you. That thought within Jean's mind, the Professor when he heard it, realized, Jean knew more about her not so distant future than her conscious mind realized-more than he had thought previously.

"Uh, I have a question." I said quietly, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. It was something I had been thinking on for a while now. Something that first came to mind when they first told me of the Institute for Higher Learning.

"Shoot, Winter."

Scott said from beside me. He noticed my fidgeting and playing with my fingers a bit, nerves he guessed it was. He hadn't truly realized until just then they were still acting up. I looked about like any other overly stressed out teenager, I guessed. Acted much like Scott did even, just quieter... less temperamental.

"You three, coming and saving me like that... It's almost like you're superheroes. Is everyone else at the Institute superheroes? I know you said they all have powers but do they save people like you saved me?"

It was a good question but Scott didn't exactly know how to answer, so he did the best he could while Jean and Storm piloted the X-Jet.

"The Professor is who saved you, Winter. We were just acting in his place. The Professor uses a machine and, well, Jean knows a lot more about it than I do but.. I'll try to explain since she's busy."

Which was a good thing, I thought, I didn't want Jean to crash the X-Jet while trying to explain something extremely difficult or something she'd think I wouldn't understand whatsoever.

"The machine is called Cerebro and it locates mutants for the Professor. A lot of the time during the day when he's not teaching a class, he goes in there; the room that holds Cerebro and looks for distress signals, mutants in trouble with the machine. That's how he picked up on you. You radiated a signal of... new powers, uncontrollable and, plus, the fear he also could feel since he was connected to you through Cerebro. That's why he rushed us to you. It was an emergency."

It took a minute or two for me to be able to understand what Scott had just told me. A machine had found me, because of my distress signal? I didn't realize I had put off one. But perhaps the machine picked up on feelings that you yourself don't even understand?

"I'm just glad you came," I admitted in a quiet voice and noticed a smile upon Scott's face. "Do you rescue damsels in distress often?" I asked softly and the man couldn't help but cackle rather powerfully.

"I suppose you could say we do. We've been to the homes of many of the students when their powers are fresh just like yours. You also may think that yours was our worst case scenario but, trust me, I've had to get physical with some Father's before," he went on.

It did make me feel a little bit better that my parents hadn't given them their worst experience of picking up a newly activated mutant. Although I'm sure some of the words my Mother said in front of them-those would probably haunt the three of them. I knew they were going to haunt me.

When and if I got to meet this Professor Xavier man, I would quite enjoy asking him the very same questions for myself. After all, according to these three, he was my real savior-not them.

"We're not far,"

Storm commented a couple of moments later and I smiled; though my stomach was in absolute shambles. I was nervous, nervous to be away from home and my parents for honestly the first time in my entire life but yet... anxious to arrive at the Institute. I had so many worries running through my head like the cost of this place.

My parents weren't going to pay, who would? It's not like a fourteen year old girl could get a job, could I? What would the other mutants think of me? Did they not have as strong of powers as I did? Would I be the one everyone else is jealous of? Or would I be the one jealous of everyone else? Would my powers be nothing compared to the rest of them? Would I be so far behind that I'd never catch up?

I sighed and heard a soft whisper coming from Jean to Storm who immediately took the pilots chair to handle the landing. Jean and Scott switched places as well, Scott taking Storm's previous co-piloting chair and Jean taking a seat next to me. She placed her hand over mine, that was firmly attached to the arm rest like it had been made to be there.

"You have so many worries to be your age. I can't say I didn't either when I was fourteen. I was already at the Institute though by the time I was twelve. But before then, I can remember thinking the very same things you are thinking right now. But believe it or not... your powers are already more controlled than mine were. You're less smug about them, too, than I was."

Jean smiled in my direction which in turn made me smile as well. Jean knew that there were powers within herself she knew nothing about but she didn't know how much had been locked away by Professor Xavier. No one knew just how much, except Xavier himself.

Jean buckled herself in and made sure I was as well as the X-Jet began its descent towards its landing pad underneath the school gym. I closed my eyes tightly after seeing that it looked as if we were going to nose dive into the school...but after counting to one-hundred, with Mississippi at the end of every number; I heard the engine go silent and my seat belt loosened automatically.

I sighed in relief as I opened my eyes and unbuckled my seat belt the rest of the way. Unbuckling was so much easier than putting the damned thing on, I thought. Xavier had of course been listening to Winter's mind through Jean at that very moment, accessing the thought patterns and chemicals in Winter's brain when she was afraid. If it weren't for Jean holding Winter's hand, Xavier thought to himself, she very well might have frozen time again; of course Jean had heard this thought as well.

"Wow... where are we?" I asked as the four of us; myself, Jean, Scott and Storm stepped out of the X-Jet and into the underground area, below the basketball gym that contained all of the special X-vehicles it looked like.

"Underneath the school gym. It's the only area big enough on the outside, to conceal a fighter jet on the inside."

Scott explained to the newest arrival to the Xavier Institute. The three experienced X-Men led me out of the 'gym basement' so to speak and down the long hallway that led to an elevator back up to the main floor of the school. Naturally, when the doors to the elevator opened to the ground level, an elder bald gentleman in a wheelchair met us with an eager grin upon his face.

"Winter, I'd like you to meet our professor, Professor Xavier."

Storm introduced her teacher, mentor, colleague and most of all, her friend. Xavier chuckled softly at the humble introduction and took my hand as I stepped out of the elevator, Scott and Jean behind me.

"Welcome to the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Also known as the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning."

"I-I take it you know I'm a gifted youngster then, huh?" My voice was soft, almost quivering. Would he be rude to me like my Father was? No... not from what I'd heard from the three X-Men as they called themselves. Scott, Jean, Storm. No.. This man, he was a God-send to me. He had to be.

"You're safe here, Winter. As long as you're here, you'll always have a family."

The Professor's words were calming to me and somehow, it was like he answered the biggest question within my head at that moment and I at last smiled quite the genuine smile, causing the Professor and the three senior X-Men to let out hearty chuckles. This was home, I thought to myself as I looked around; the Professor leading me and the others down the hallway. Not too shabby, I thought. Not too shabby at all.


	4. Settling into the XMansion

"So does everyone here have a gift, like mine, Professor?" I asked the kind-hearted man in the wheelchair and he nodded.

"Some of us have stronger powers than others, Winter. We have a boy here who can create and manipulate ice. We have a girl who can walk through walls. Jean, she can telekinetic-ally move things. She can telepathically hear certain peoples thoughts. Scott can shoot high powered laser beams from his eyes. Storm, she can create, control and manipulate the weather. I also have a colleague, who can control and manipulate metal. All kinds."

The Professor explained to me and I slightly nodded, thinking it was very fascinating that people had all these sorts of powers. Even though, next to them, I thought my powers were rather...boring.

"Now, don't be like that Winter." Professor X chuckled. "Your power is very unique. There are only few mutants who can control time by freezing it completely."

"Oh yeah, who else can?" I asked, rather excited to meet someone else who could control time like I could. My eyes were wide with excitement, my heart racing. I desperately wanted to know I wasn't alone in being a cause of what happened earlier today. If someone else had that power and they had been there, they could have stopped it. They would be the freak. We would be the freaks. The Professor surprised me when he said,

"Me." The two of us started to laugh and if you would have just been walking into the school, you could have sworn we had been best chums for my entire life. Like he was in fact, my Father. The Professor had shown me around the school, planning to get me back to Scott and Jean who were to show me to my room there in the X-Mansion. They had quite a number of empty rooms, to my surprise. The Professor knew a little boy who could add onto the mansion with his mind, he definitely came in handy when a new passel of mutants showed up at the door. Much handier than a contractor and construction man.

Or when Cerebro found several newly activated mutants. Which was a question that I absolutely had to bring up, now that I remembered. "Scott... he brought up that you found me using some sort of machine...Cerebro? Would it be wrong of me to ask how it works, Professor? He told me a little bit but couldn't exactly, explain it very well?" I felt wrong to bring it up; perhaps Cerebro was a secret of some kind? Perhaps I shouldn't know about it...

Hearing her thought, Charles laughed and nodded a bit. "I can explain it just a little better than Scott did. Imagine a map, coming into view..." the Professor held his hand out in the large foyer of the X-Mansion, as if pointing me towards a large map. "It can be of the world or just the city, Westchester, where we are for example. In the chamber which holds Cerebro, there is a color chart. Red for mutants and white, for everyone else. If I zoom in tighter, the mutants are in color...everyone else, black and white. It can locate every single mutant on Earth for me. I use it daily to find mutants in distress or mutants like you, newly activated. Using my telepathic powers, I locked onto you with Cerebro's help and realized your power and what had just happened by reading your mind."

It shocked me, what he'd just said. "You could read my mind from that far away?"

"Only with Cerebro's help of course. It enhances my own powers. If I wouldn't have been at Cerebro, I wouldn't have been able to hear your thoughts, because we aren't well acquainted yet. Now, take Jean, Scott and Storm for example. They've been students of mine for so long that I could hear their thoughts across the Pacific Ocean, maybe even further. I'm very in tune with them," the Professor tried his best to explain to the newest mutant.

"Wow... this is just so much to process. I never thought I'd have..." I felt a little stupid for what I was about to say, but I nonetheless went ahead and said it, knowing the professor would just read my mind anyway. "Super powers."

"Ah-ha! And don't you forget that Winter! It takes some of us years to understand that we are different and come to terms with it. You have just done in a day what some of us dream of doing ten, twenty years after finding out about our X-genes. Your powers are a gift, Winter. They are a super power and you will be trained here, to become a superhero." Again, the Professor had baffled me. I felt almost to the point of fainting, but Jean caught me all of a sudden with her telekinesis. Could this place have anymore surprises waiting for me?

"Scott wanted me to find you, so we could show you to your room?" Jean offered and I nodded a bit. I felt bad that the Professor and I had chatted so much; I'd kept the other two waiting for so long. Jean and the Professor shared a bit of a joke telepathically, the two of them grinning. It was obvious, now that I knew the both of them could read minds...but I still had no idea what they'd said.

I took a hold of Jean's arm and let her lead me throughout the Mansion, upstairs to where my bedroom was located. This was going to take a little bit of getting used to. I felt like I could get lost in this gigantic place...

"This place is so big and beautiful," I complimented and Jean nodded, opening the door to the room where Scott had began to unpack my things for me and put them away in nooks and the closet too of course.

I blushed rather heavily, hoping he hadn't found my, well, you know or anything of the sort. I noticed Jean laugh a little, she must have been listening to me again. "Thank you, Scott." I thanked him quietly and sat down on the bed, gazing around the room. "All of this is mine?" I asked the two elder X-Men and they nodded.

"While you're here, anything in the Mansion is yours. Unless of course otherwise noted," Jean teased, tagging Scott in the shoulder.

"Oh shush, Jean. I didn't know the Professor had specific cookies in the bottom drawer of the fridge that he liked and they were marked PROF X ONLY." Scott whistled innocently while chuckling. I raised a brow at this, so Jean explained.

"Scott's first week here according to legend, he was caught by the Professor reading his mind, stealing cookies out of the Professor's specially marked container." Jean laughed rather heartily. "The Professor will share, but he doesn't like snoops trying to steal his cookies."

"I'll keep that in mind," I giggled softly.

"And by the way," Scott started, "if you want a roommate, just let us know. Your room definitely is big enough to accommodate another person. We wouldn't want to shove you in with someone right off though, so, don't worry about it for now." He finished and I nodded my head.

The thought of a roommate in the future did sound pretty cool. An eternal slumber party since we'd live together. I smiled but then looked a little worried when a look came over Jean's face. I couldn't help but to notice it. She turned to Scott and said rather sternly,

"Grab Storm and meet the Professor at Cerebro. He wants me to stay here with Winter." Scott nodded at Jean's words and took off out of my room in a rush. I chewed upon my lower lip rather heavily and laid back on my new bed, looking up at Jean.

"Is the Professor in trouble? Does he need you too? I don't mind being alone. I can finish unpacking," I said quietly and Jean smiled, sitting down at the edge of the bed of the newest X-kid.

"It's alright. He's just found a new mutant and her powers are kind of dangerous, like yours were at first, when we were afraid that you wouldn't be able to control them at all. So he wants Scott and Storm to go aid and assist in whatever way possible." I nodded somewhat at Jean's kind explanation. I heard my stomach grumble a bit and I blushed some, "I bet you're hungry. From the sounds of it, you haven't ate all day." Jean made that assumption without even happening to read the young girl's mind.

"Let's get you something to eat then. I'm sure there are others in the kitchen at this hour." That sentence though, it made me rather shy. I would be meeting the other students so soon?!

"I don't... I don't know if I'm ready to meet anyone else. What if someone makes fun of me or...?" I asked worryingly and Jean couldn't help but giggle herself, patting my back gently.

"I assure you, kids are nicer here at the Institute. These kids have been through humiliation themselves and most certainly don't bully. You won't get judged due to your looks or your powers. Plus, I'll be there, remember? They're kind of scared of me." Jean grinned and I couldn't help but raise a brow. Jean didn't seem scary to me, whatsoever. Without even happening to verbally ask, Jean heard my question.

"Not scared, scared. Intimidated. I'm a teacher here, so are Scott and Storm. We graduated from actual training years ago. Hence why we're X-Men, Winter." Slowly I nodded,

"that explains quite a lot then," I let out a soft laugh and got the courage to get up off of the bed and head out of the door with Jean right behind me. I started to wonder though...would I ever graduated from "X-School" and be an X-Men too one day?

Hearing Xavier's voice within her mind, Jean smiled;

"You're good with Winter, Jean. I'm surprised you haven't surprised us with a child of your own yet." The Professor teased, it had been a personal joke between he and Jean for years that she'd be a fantastic Mother to a gifted child.

"She's already like a mini-me Professor... a daughter to me." Jean said within her mind, knowing the Professor was listening. Charles replied,

"To me as well. All of you are. Now, stay out of my cookies." At that sentence, Jean couldn't help but to burst out into laughter, earning looks from everyone currently in the hallway, including myself. She and the Professor must have been talking...without verbally talking...again. These telepathic gifts were going to be the death of me! Curiosity is going to kill me!


	5. I Want To Belong

Jean had taken me down to the kitchen for a bite to eat. To my surprise, and putting me more at ease, there were only a few other students in the room. A few were much younger as well; which also eased me in my thought, would I be the youngest one here at a tender age of fourteen? Barely fourteen, at that.

Even though Scott had said the youngest was like six years old-he could have always been lying. Although that was rude of me to assume; I'm sure he wasn't a chronic liar like some of the fourteen year old boys I knew back home. After all, Scott was older.

"New kid?" One of the kids in the kitchen asked Jean and she gave a soft nod, "this is Winter." She replied and I felt my cheeks start to tint red. The boy who had asked about me and the other male sitting next to him walked over towards me...I hoped they weren't going to start trouble.

Like Jean said, they were intimidated of her.. I hoped that remained true. "They call me Pyro," he said and extended his hand to me.. I lightly shook it with a smile, laughing softly.

"I take it your power is fire then, huh?" I asked and he gave a slight shrug with a smirk upon his lips. Apparently he was quite confident. Very proud in fact of his powers.

"I can control it once it's formed but I cannot conjure it." He explained and I nodded a bit, turning my attention to his friend and shakily, though not too shakily, extended my hand for him to shake as well. I noticed a stark contrast...Pyro's hand had been so warm.. but this ones' was cool. Cold in fact.

"Your power has something to do with ice, doesn't it?" I asked and his eyes widened somewhat, I looked over to Jean and even she seemed surprised I'd guessed correctly.

"They refer to me as Iceman sometimes.. I can conjure and control it. I prefer to go by Bobby, though." He admitted and I gave him a smile.

"Bobby it is then." I replied and Jean looked over, as if questioning how I knew what his powers were. "Simple. Pyro's hand was so warm... when I touched Bobby's, I got a cold chill. I knew his power had to do with either ice or water in general."

"I think you're brighter than even the Professor has given you credit for, so far." Jean complimented me and I couldn't help but feel my cheeks burn again. "Alright, so food." Her track of mind had returned as soon as she had heard my stomach growl, again. I watched Jean walk over to the refrigerator and pull some things out.

I ran my eyes over them and smiled a bit, someone liked pasta. "I'll take some of that," I pointed to the container and she nodded, throwing it into a microwave safe dish and heating it up in the microwave.

"Aw c'mon Ms. Grey, you know I could have heated that up for her," Pyro said with a chuckle and she narrowed her eyes at him, "just like you did for Kitty a few months ago, huh? You know it still smells like burnt chicken in here..."

Jean teased Pyro and he rolled his eyes somewhat. Something told me that he got on a lot of peoples nerves here. "How long have you been here?" I asked him inquisitively.

"Around six months. Not too much longer than Bobby here." Pyro replied and Bobby agreed, "I've only been here around four," he reminded his buddy as well as informing me. It reminded me of what they had said to me earlier...that there was a boy here who could manipulate ice...and a girl who could walk through walls.

"There's so many of you I must meet," I said honestly and sat down at the bar in the kitchen on a stool, Jean placing the warm bowl of pasta in front of my face. Considering she'd also been reading my mind, she placed a can of coca cola in front of me as well. I went to pick it up but it was room temperature, I pouted somewhat.

Then I looked over at Bobby with a bit of a grin, "do you mind?" I asked and he chuckled, placing his finger for only half a second on the can before pulling away.. I went to pick it up again and it was perfectly chilled.. like it had been in the icebox over night.

"I think both of you have powers that'll come in handy," I complimented Bobby and Pyro both. "You know though," Pyro pointed out, "we don't know what your power is. With the name Winter, you'd think you're the Ice Princess," he teased Bobby somewhat.

I chewed on my bottom lip, not really wanting them to know what my power was right now... I didn't truly know the extent of my powers...so why should I brag about them? "I can freeze time," I said quietly and took a bite of the warm pasta, feeling it slide down my throat after chewing a few times.

I saw the look of pure amazement on both Bobby and Pyro's face. I felt my cheeks heat up again and looked around for Jean but she had disappeared. I bet she did this on purpose, for me to learn to get on with others by myself. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing though.

"You know, they keep telling me this is a school but..." I started and Bobby laughed,

"and trust me, it is. But it's not like any school you've ever been to, believe me. Welcome to Mutant High, Winter." He said with a soft chuckle and I found myself blushing a pink color once more, continuing eating.

"What all do they teach here?" I asked and Bobby answered me once more,

"All sorts of things. The Professor loves to teach Physics and on good days Philosophy. Storm teaches science, how fitting, right? Jean is a Doctor... she teaches a medical class and a self defense class with Mr. Scott. Once you've been here a while... you'll graduate to better classes than just schooling, math and whatnot. You'll graduate to training classes, mutant training... and one day,"

but Bobby got cut short. Pyro rolled his eyes and snorted, "Bobby here thinks one day he's going to get to be an X-Man. I hate to break it to you, Ice-boy but... they don't want you on the team. If anyone gets on, it'll be me."

"Don't speak so highly of yourself, hot head." Scott said rather firmly from the kitchen door, "Bobby has just as high of a chance as you do," Storm followed him up with as they walked in.

"You're back," I pointed out and they gave a bit of a nod, "we came to see how you were adjusting," Storm said and I shrugged a little, pointing between Pyro and Bobby while I swallowed my food.

"They've been good company," I said after the food was out of my mouth and heading towards my stomach. I had finished the entire bowl now and walked over, placing it in the sink and running warm water in it. "So where did Jean disappear to?" I asked them as my attention went back upon their figures standing by the fridge.

"The Professor sent us to pick up a newly activated mutant and an old friend of his who had run into one another. One of them needed medical attention. So Jean's down in the medical lab, tending to him." Storm explained and I nodded a little, walking over towards them.

"I hope they're alright. I knew it must have been something important for Jean to leave without a word," I said in a soft voice, then decided to change the subject. I was curious about when my schooling would begin.

"So when does my schooling start?" I asked inquisitively and the two elder X-Men chuckled, "as soon as tomorrow, if you feel you're up to it," Scott replied and I played with my bottom lip somewhat with my teeth. It was an interesting concept..to go ahead and be shoved in with other people as soon as tomorrow. I don't know if I could do it, though. I was shy, even if I had been getting along just fine with Pyro and Bobby without Jean being there the entire time.

But my personality was still far from outgoing and the Professor, well, he'd made it rather clear that powers are sometimes activated by a mutant becoming scared or afraid they're going to be harmed. So perhaps, it wouldn't be such a wise idea to shove myself into school work as early as tomorrow...

"You'll do just fine," I heard the Professor's voice within my mind. "While you are here, I can help you control your powers. You won't be freezing time accidentally while I'm here. In fact, tomorrow, you and I should go ahead and get a jump start on learning how to control it."

I couldn't help but grin rather widely, "what are you grinning at?" Pyro asked and I licked over my lips, feeling a little confident.

"My training starts tomorrow. How long did you say you'd been here again?" I teased and pushed my long blonde hair back over my shoulder and started walking out of the kitchen.. I hope I hadn't hurt Bobby's feelings but, I felt like taking Pyro's ego down a notch.

"Well done, Winter, now that deserves a cookie," I heard the Professor say within my mind and before I knew it, I was laughing all the way up to my room.


	6. Goodnight, Winter

After eating with Bobby and Pyro in the kitchen earlier in the evening, I found myself rather curious as to who Jean was tending to down in the lab. I also found myself a little curious at who the new mutant was-newer than me and I hadn't even been here one full day. Storm and Scott had brought me up to my room and I'd began unpacking the rest of my things. The things that were for my eyes, only.

It was only eight at night, I was beginning to wonder if this place had a bedtime? If it wasn't bedtime quite yet, then I wanted to see Jean at least once before bed.. I also found myself somewhat wanting to see Pyro and Bobby again...perhaps they'd be my best of friends while I was here?

The Professor had mentioned that my training, mutant training as the guys had referred to it as, started tomorrow. Was it because I was truly more powerful than them? In retrospect, I suppose one could say that manipulating fire and conjuring ice were "wussy" powers compared to being able to stop time in its tracks.

To look at it egotistically, which it seemed Pyro looked at everything egotistically, one could say that my power was honestly God-like. I put a literal stopper in death. Before the Professor could enter my mind and tell me to quit thinking so highly of oneself, I shook my head and got out of the bed. I calmed my thoughts and in my pajamas, began to wonder the halls of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.

I made it down to the main level and saw Jean as she stepped out of the elevator from "below", where we'd been when I first arrived here-which was usually off limits to students (those that didn't arrive on the X-Jet anyway...) "Is he alright?" I asked, to which Jean got a rather perplexed look upon her face. "Scott and Storm, they told me you were tending to a guy that was with the newly activated mutant?" I offered and she nodded then immediately.

"Sometimes, I think you're a telepath with the things you say-then I realize, it's not that.. you just pick up on so much, so quickly." Jean admitted and I smiled at her compliment. Then she went on to say, "but yes, he'll be alright I believe. He has uncanny regenerative abilities. All of his wounds are healed, but I think his mind needs a little rest..so he's out like a light, as they'd say." She explained and I couldn't help but laugh.

"So what are you doing out of bed?" Jean asked as she walked with me through the hallways, heading to-well, I had no idea. "I wasn't sure if this place had a bedtime..." "Well," she started, "if you're truly going to start your training with the Professor in the morning, then you'd best get a good nights rest. He'll want you up by at least seven in the morning for breakfast. The typical bedtime for students is around ten. We don't mind you coming down for a midnight snack, if your tummy is really that empty. But then it's right back up to bed. Weekends there isn't a bed time, so no frowns."

How could I? Ten o'clock was later than my own parents ever let me stay up at home.. in a way, ten o'clock was perfect. "So how's the new mutant then...?" I asked as we sat down upon the couch in a lounge area, like a living room. "She's alright. She says her name is Rogue. Pretty shaken up..especially about her power. She's strong, like you; powers uncontrollable but hers are much more dangerous. With just a touch, an unclothed touch, she can kill a human." Jean explained and I couldn't help the fact that my eyes got rather wide. "Any idea what her touch will do to a mutant like us?"

"I believe that Rogue will 'borrow' in a sense, another mutants powers-if she touches one. Of course, this theory is yet to be tested," explained the Professor as he rolled up next to me, where the couch wasn't, in his wheelchair. "Borrow a power? So if she touched me, she could freeze time then?" I questioned and he nodded, "theoretically yes. I'd love to test her powers but.. we'll save that for once she's more acquainted. Until Logan is up and awake, I don't believe she'll actually let her guard down.." Jean agreed with the Professor about this. Jean also seemed quite firm in her belief that Logan would probably awake in the morning.

"It's off to bed though, Winter. I have a physics class in the morning at nine, after breakfast. It'll last until close to eleven, then I'm free to help you with your training. You're free to come to the physics class." I rubbed my forehead a little, blinking a few times. "I barely understand basic algebra, Professor. I think physics is way too advanced for me."

"Science it is then, tomorrow at one in the afternoon. Storm will come get you before class to show you to which room she holds it in; she's the teacher." He explained and I nodded, standing up off of the couch and giving Jean a hug. "Goodnight Jean, and thanks for everything you've done for me today." "No thanks needed, Winter. Just try and get a good night's sleep." I nodded and walked towards the Professor, also giving him a hug. "Thank you the very most, for making me feel so very, very accepted."

"As Jean said, Winter, no thank you needed. Nothing gives me more joy or pleasure than helping out a struggling youngster. It gives my life..purpose," he admitted and I gave him a smile, leaving the living area and heading up the stairs to the bedrooms and found my own, closing the door behind me. As custom dictates, my being fourteen years old, I sat down on my bed and began to write in my journal about the day.. This was going to take a while...


	7. A Mixed Perspective

(Rogue and Logan's Point of View-third person)

The attraction was absolutely undeniable between the two, but the girl was just much too young; Logan thought to himself as he sat beside her in the cab of his truck. He had watched her scarf down that jerky like it was the first thing she'd eaten in weeks. "Where do you come from, kid?" Logan asked after a few moments of long silence. They'd gotten along pretty well-especially after she'd told him when people touch her, bad things happen to them. Rogue had also seen Logan's claws... and wasn't frightened, too much anyway.

Now they were more-or-less on a first name base. Logan, Marie-or Wolverine and Rogue.. not that he preferred to go by Wolverine, but she most certainly preferred Rogue. "Mississippi," she answered in which Logan found himself almost choked. They were in northern Alberta, he couldn't believe the girl had traveled so far. "Well, see, this truck driver picked me up in Tupelo and he was only meant to drive me as far north as Laughlin City... Missouri." Rogue explained to Logan.

He couldn't help but chuckle, "the town we were in-that was Laughlin City..." "and that's exactly what the driver said to me. I was awake for about the first six hours of our trip, we were in.. I don't know, somewhere just west of Saint Louis when I fell asleep and I was so exhausted, I hadn't slept since..since it happened with my, my boyfriend." Her voice got kind of quiet, Logan realized this was the sensitive subject-the boy she'd hurt with her 'powers'. "I slept the entire time from somewhere in Missouri all the way here... how long would you say? Thirty something hours? I was mentally exhausted."

Rogue continued to which Logan nodded, "I can't see it being anything less than thirty hours. I'm sorry something so traumatic had to happen to you, kid." Rogue felt rather, bad, that he kept referring to her as 'kid' but she understood it. She was only sixteen and him? Well, Rogue guessed Logan in his thirties and honestly? Logan didn't know how old he truly was. He didn't remember fighting in World War one and two, Vietnam, Korean.. nothing. He can only remember the last fifteen years-since he lost his memories from before then.

"Does it...always happen... after a traumatic event?" Rogue asked, about their powers. "I'm not the person to ask that.. I don't remember anything of my life from before fifteen years ago, Rogue. I don't remember if I've always had these claws or if someone gave them to me. But, for you.. I think, it's a logical explanation to believe that yours came from... the trauma your body felt of a first kiss.. Heightened emotion?" Logan offered, looking over to Rogue for just a split second before everything went black...

He woke half a dozen seconds later in the snow, looking back towards the truck to a terror stricken Rogue and the limb that had smashed the front of the truck completely.. "Are you alright?" He hollered towards Rogue who struggled in the seat, trying to get free. "I'm stuck!" She shrieked, feeling a little claustrophobic at that moment. Logan began to panic, for the first time in fifteen years... he wasn't thinking of himself...he was thinking about another.. he was responsible for another.

As he began to look for something to help Rogue out of the truck, that's when he noticed the snapped tree and how it looked as if someone just shoved it over.. He began to sniff the air.. a familiar stench it was filled with... His own brother, Sabretooth as they call him, or Victor Creed... but Logan had no memory of Victor and thanks to Magneto-Victor had no memory of Logan...

Though the blast from Cyclops' laser did awaken him somewhat, awaken him to the point of-he knew Logan was indestructible and with two X-Men there, Storm and Cyclops, there was no way he was going to win. With Logan knocked out cold due to Sabretooth, Cyclops helped the young Rogue out of the truck and the four made their way to the X-Jet, hearing Logan's truck/camper explode-the life he'd built for the last fifteen years, disappearing as quickly as his past life had when that adamantium bullet took away his memories...

(Winter's point of view)

I heard the alarm next to my bed going off, I'd sat it for six thirty.. but I couldn't..no.. I didn't want to get out of bed just yet. It felt so cozy.. I felt so much better than I had yesterday..waking up here at the school, knowing I had a day full of real friends, real family, ahead of me.. well, I just wanted to lie there and savor in that fact.. but soon a familiar voice was inside my head.

"Winter, it does not do us well to dwell about having a good day-the only way it becomes a good one, is if you go out there and make it that way." I smiled at those kind words, agreeing with him within my mind and getting up, going about my morning ritual of a shower and make up. I didn't apply too much, just to make myself.. teenage enough to maybe fit in. I didn't know how many other girls would be at this school.. I only knew of Rogue, that was my age-the girl that Jean said was the newly activated mutant.. the girl who can't be touched.

But part of me also wanted to look good for Pyro, for Bobby.. hell, for everyone. For myself, mainly. I made my way downstairs and through the small sea of people as we all interchanged through the kitchen and the dining room and living area for breakfast. I had to admit, it smelled better than any breakfast that my parents ever cooked. I saw the girl, Rogue, sitting by herself in the living area..looking all around with accusing eyes.. it's like I could hear her thoughts.. they were the same ones running through my head last night, that everyone was staring at her-even if they weren't.

I took my plate of food and sat down beside of her on the couch at 7:20. "I'm Winter," I introduced myself and drank a little juice, noticing she was wearing a pair of dark gloves. I extended my hand to her, she hesitantly shook my hand. "Rogue," she said softly and gave a very light, pale smile. "Why are you sitting with me?" She asked a couple moments later after I'd swallowed a mouthful of bacon. "I didn't want you to be alone. I'm the new girl too, just got here yesterday...a couple hours before you." I admitted and Rogue laughed softly.

"I guess I stole the new girl role right out from underneath you," "That's alright. I never did have much luck as the new girl.. We can be new together though, try and 'fit in'," I made a funny face with quote marks in the air, which caused Rogue to laugh. "What's your power?" She asked me, "it's not nearly as marvelous as the Professor thinks your gift is.. I can freeze time." But to Rogue, that was a fantastic gift.. she began to question me about it, how I found out about my mutation...

So in detail over breakfast, I began to tell her about the car accident yesterday and how I was a second away from death...to sitting here next to her on the couch. By the time I was telling the story and she was done listening-it was nine o'clock and students were disappearing for class. "Do you have class?" "I don't know if I honestly want to go," Rogue admitted, I could see the anxiety in her eyes.

"I'll go to class with you. I'm supposed to start class at one, with Storm, science class.. but.. I'm sure we can find something else." So together, Rogue and I left the living area and went walking about, finding an outside class-physical education. We didn't participate much...but we watched one hell of a mutant basketball game. Talk about interesting.

(Logan's Point of View-third person)

When he'd awoken down in the medical lab, Logan was absolutely freaked. For some reason, he felt trapped, like a lab rat... and for some reason, that feeling felt familiar. He didn't remember what happened, the voluntary procedure he went through to get his claws-well, his adamantium ones at least.. but sometimes Logan would dream about it and though he didn't remember those dreams very vividly, in the subconscious of his mind...the Professor was able to lock onto them easily...

And so was Jean Grey. Logan was introduced to Cyclops and Storm, who rescued him right at ten til eleven o'clock when his physics class ended. He was also, introduced properly, to Jean Grey. As smitten as Logan had been just previously with the girl he'd 'rescued' more or less yesterday in Canada, he was that smitten and then some with Dr. Grey already. Jean, being the slight telepath she was-or at least, slight compared to the Professor himself, could already tell.

"The girl, how is she?" "Rogue?" The Professor questioned as he began to give Logan a tour of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. "She's doing fine. See right there," he pointed through the glass doors looking outside-you could see Rogue and Winter, commentating on the basketball game between one another. Winter, almost having heard Xavier in her mind, looked up towards the glass and gave him a smile and a wave before returning to watching.

The Professor continued the chat with Logan; it was through that chat that the Professor realized, Logan truly had no memories of who he used to be...what he used to do. The Professor remembered coming across Logan back in the day when he and Erik were recruiting for the original 'X-Men', in which Xavier met Scott/Cyclops' younger brother for the first time, Havok... or Alex.

Xavier didn't tell Logan this, but it was more evidence to Jean's statement of 'he may very well be older than you, Professor.'

(Winter's Point of View)

Rogue and I came back into the school at near noon, I found the Professor waiting for me. "Time to start your training, Winter." He said with a smile and I nodded, "are you done talking with Logan?" I asked him and he nodded, "he's with Jean, just now. More tests and whatnot," he explained. "How's Rogue fitting in?" Xavier asked me as we wheeled towards the elevator, to go down into the 'lower' level of the school...

"I think she's fitting in fine.. we're meant to both go to Storm's science class in an hour.. We're good friends already.. We both are rather...scared to death of our powers," I admitted honestly and he gave a soft laugh. "I don't believe either one of you will be hurting anyone while you're here. Her training should begin soon, too, however.. so one day, perhaps, she can touch without wounding.. that will be my goal with her."

"And yours with me?" I questioned the Professor as we walked through the lower level of the school into a 'classroom'. "For you to reach your utmost level of power, safely, fully in control." He opened the doors to the room, "this is our training room.. we run scenarios here for all sorts of powers. In the case of yours.. life threatening situations. I know yesterday I said, you wouldn't be freezing time with me around anytime soon.. but in this room, you'll freeze everything-but me. My mind is much too powerful for you to freeze."

The Professor explained and I couldn't help but smile and nod, excited to try this out... but also, petrified, as I should be. "So, shall we begin, then?" The Professor asked and with a curt nod, everything around me changed...it was like an illusion. I couldn't see the Professor anymore but within my mind I heard him say, "I'm here, act as you normally would..." and so I did or so I would try my very best to. The illusion was changing into my house...and I felt a heaviness in my heart. I didn't want to be here.


	8. Training Begins

"I'm here, act as you normally would," I could hear the Professor's voice from somewhere within the room. I had learned in eighteen or so hours that I'd been here at the X-Mansion the difference between the Professor speaking to me or speaking to me within my mind. This was definitely outside of my mind...somewhere.

But I could no longer see him. Everything before my eyes had changed into what I would refer to as a virtual reality. I was no longer in the X-Mansion or at least not in this simulation...I was back home and I honestly didn't want to be. The Professor had seen enough through my eyes, through Jean's, Scott's, and Storm's, that it was like he could recreate a perfect version of my house... but it wasn't going to stay perfect long. I knew it wouldn't. The term life-threatening situation kept ringing in my ears.

As I walked through my house, everything seemed... in place. Nothing seemed to be wrong at all. I was upstairs though, so the hell that may be waiting for me downstairs, was a mystery. I slowly rounded the corner and started down the stairs. Nothing so far. I almost started to wonder if the last day had just been a dream I'd woken up from because this felt so real. But, Professor said 'life threatening' situations...and nothing seemed dangerous about this just yet. As I walked from the living room into the kitchen, my eyes widened in horror.

It was every teenage girls' worst nightmare-or at least I would believe it is. Although in conversation I would tell you that I disliked my parents so much after what they did to me yesterday-almost hated... I still loved them so dearly. They are my parents, after all. In this simulation, when I walked into the kitchen, I saw my Mother and Father both...dead and lifeless on the kitchen floor.

My eyes looked around the room and immediately I saw the culprit that did it. An intruder in the house, standing by the back kitchen door, pointing a gun right at me, slowly cocking it. I started to scream in horror and my eyes tightly shut, I dropped to my knees and that's when everything went still, quiet. I could no longer hear the birds chirping outside of my 'house.' I didn't hear the dishwasher going anymore. Nothing.

My eyes slowly opened and everything was frozen. Everything except for myself. "Professor?" My voice was kind of shaky.. I was afraid, what if he was wrong? What if I was strong enough to freeze him too?

"I'm here, Winter. You needn't to worry. Let's try to see if you can unfreeze time on your own. After you correct the danger of the situation." I grasped what the Professor was saying.. for the most part at least.

My parents were dead...there was nothing I could do to save them, aside from calling 911. But first I had to get the actual danger out of the situation. I walked...very slowly across the kitchen floor and removed the cold, stiff gun from the intruder's hand.. It was cocked to go off at any moment so I immediately aimed it at a safer target; the floor.

I walked back over to my parents, a safe distance from the intruder. On the counter laid the phone, where I guessed in the simulation my 'Mother' had tried to dial 911 and failed when she was shot.. so I picked up the phone that was turned 'on' but had no number dialed and waited.. I looked back over to the intruder and slowly breathed a breath of 'I'm alright, it's going to be okay' and everything unfroze.

When the intruder came back to and realized he had the gun no longer and the phone was in my hands, he took off out the back door. I jumped up and followed him out to the back porch as he ran off through our large backyard.

"Now Winter, see if you can freeze one lone being. I don't expect you can do this on your first try. It is quite advanced." The Professor was beside me with how close his voice was... but I could not see him. I closed my eyes and focused on what I wanted froze...who I wanted froze... but it did not work and when I opened my eyes, the simulation was gone.

"It's time for your science class with Storm. We'll have to continue this tomorrow, Winter." The Professor looked up at me from his wheelchair and I smiled. I lent in and hugged him.

"Thank you for this, Professor. I promise I'll get better with my power. I'll try my very best." My voice was soft, not nervous anymore. He had shown me that although I couldn't freeze time at my own will... I could at least unfreeze it now as long as I calmed myself enough.

"I know you will, and you are. I can tell you are giving this your all and I am very proud of you. Now get a move on, or you're going to be late!" The Professor joked and led me to the elevator that would take me back up to the main level of the school. I quickly found Rogue once on the main level and we walked to our class together.

When we arrived, only a few students were inside and no Storm as of yet so we sat and talked about how my training went. "The Professor plans to start yours really soon, or so he said. He took me down to a room that.. simulates like.. illusions. They're very very real though. Almost like a virtual reality. It was a life-threatening situation...that heightened my emotions and made me freeze time. It froze against my own will... but I could unfreeze it on my own."

"That's just... that's so baffling. You have the neatest gift." Rogue said quietly, almost in awe it seemed to me. I just smiled and shook my head.

"I'm sure once you get in control of yours.. yours will be the coolest gift ever." I tried to make her feel a little bit better. I still wasn't for sure what Rogue's power necessarily was exactly.. but I'm sure we'd find out sooner rather than later especially if the Professor intended to start her training very soon.

As we took our seats, about the fourth row from the front side by side, more students started piling in including Bobby and Pyro. Pyro sat in front of myself and Bobby in front of Rogue. Science had never really fascinated me before, nor had it truly held my attention...or got the best grades in my report-card. In fact, I detested science. Math as well.

I had to admit, as soon as Storm began to teach... I was interested in science. Since her powers involved the weather she could show such a 'hands-on' approach to what she was teaching...it happened to be about weather. I noticed in front of me, Pyro was trying to show off to not only myself but to Rogue as well by making a fireball with his lighter.

It started to grow a little larger and I could feel my heart start to panic...but before I panicked to much, Bobby pointed his finger behind his back and the fire started to turn to ice. When it was completely solid, Pyro dropped it causing Storm to look back at him and narrow her eyes... knowing he must be the 'bad seed' of the class.

"Is he always that way?" I lent forward to ask Bobby and he simply nodded in reply. I kind of figured Pyro was the... 'hot headed' one. As I sat back in my seat-the rest of the lesson went by fairly quickly.

The bell rung before I knew it. I noticed as I gathered my books up that Bobby had taken quite a shine to Rogue and left her a little heart made out of ice on her desk, causing her to blush extremely heavily. I smiled and lent towards her whispering, 'I'm definitely jealous! You should go for it. He seems super nice!'

Rogue and I left together, talking about Bobby and John...or Pyro as he preferred. I myself kind of had a thing about falling for bad boys...and apparently Rogue did as well, as she shared to me that she already had eyes for somebody... Logan.


	9. Accidents Can Happen

Rogue's Point of View

"How's training going, kid?" I heard Logan's voice as he walked up behind me in the lounge that evening. I was busy working on some homework, which I honestly couldn't believe they'd given me homework... I looked up to him, sitting the pencil down on the textbook in my lap.

"It went well," I commented. "Although, the Professor is still a little confused by my powers in general." I found it somewhat sweet that Logan cared enough to ask about my training. After all, what was I to him? All he'd done was rescued me from hitchhiking somewhere in Alberta, Canada.

"What about you?" I asked him as he took a seat next to me.

"What about me?" Logan asked, raising a brow.

"Is he helping you out...? To know more about your past?" That question really only earned a shrug at first, then a small grunt in thought.

"Somewhat. He's able to decipher flashbacks more vividly than I can. He says if I give him a few more days, weeks even, he might be able to piece a lot more together than I ever could," Logan explained. I wanted Logan to stick around... excuse me, Wolverine. I wanted to know why he even called himself.

"Maybe we'll get down to the Wolverine mystery," I commented and he nodded his head, taking the textbook out from my lap and looking over it.

"Chemistry? Really? How is this ever going to help us mutants?" Logan chuckled and laid the book back down in my lap.

"I suppose they want us to have real smarts, smart-ass," I teased him. "Suppose they want us goin' to a real college somewhere, making names for ourselves that aren't just nicknames from our powers..." My voice trailed off. I liked the nickname Rogue, but I supposed it had nothing to do with my powers.

Wolverine, I could understand that. Logan's claws were like nothing I'd ever seen before. They were sharper than any knives I'd ever encountered. Winter, well, her name was so perfect for her...being able to 'freeze' time and everything. Iceman was perfect for Bobby, Pyro perfect for John.

What was my power, truly? Would I ever have a nickname associated with my power? I shook the thought from my head.

"What's on your mind, kid?" Logan asked and I glared somewhat. The first once or twice was okay, but I disliked how he kept calling me kid.

"I'm seventeen in a few days," I said flatly and stood up with my books, journal, and pencil.

"Alright, alright, jail-bait," again he teased and stood up with me.

"I don't know, it's getting late and my head is swimming from all this homework. I can't believe they gave me homework my first real day of classes... I suppose Winter is probably enjoying it though," I voiced my thoughts and looked about the room, surprised not to see Winter here, associating with everyone else.

"Well, goodnight then," Logan said and I nodded my head, simply waving my green-glove covered hand as I disappeared back to my bedroom.

Winter's Point of View

"You're such a hot head," Bobby rolled his eyes at John's incessant bitching. This was John's least favorite day of the week, because he'd had a class with Scott... or Cyclops. John hated the dick-no, Pyro hated him. Then again, Scott was rather hated all across Xavier's School. The only person who had an exceptional ability to put up with him was Jean and well, Winter seemed to like him so far.

"Cool it," I said coolly as I came up behind the both of them, wrapping an arm around their shoulders as we walked.

"Well, hey, Winter." Pyro said with a bit of a smirk, his hand slipping down to rest on my hip. I looked over to him and glared until he moved his hand off of my hip rather quickly, too, I might add.

"Where have you been?" Bobby asked, I was sure curiosity was killing the kitty.

"I had a longer training session with the Professor. My gift is still so...unstable. I don't know whether extreme happiness will trigger a time freeze, or sadness, or anger. The simulation showed anger will trigger it... and ... well, you already know about the car wreck with my Mom," I explained.

The three of us took a seat in the lounge. I noticed Rogue wasn't here, but I asked a mutual friend of ours-Kitty, who said she had just left to go to bed.

"Can you freeze just one thing yet, or... everything?" Bobby asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

"It's everything right now. I can't wait to be able to just freeze certain things..." I admitted, daydreaming about what it would be like. I wanted to one day have full control over my powers. I didn't like feeling like I was... vulnerable because I didn't know how to use them properly. But that's exactly how I felt right at that moment. Part of me disliked having such a complicated gift, the other part of me loved it.

Rogue's Point of View

I had been laying in bed for a couple of hours when I started to hear Logan in the next room. It sounded like moans at first. It upset me, caused me to be jealous. But the more I listened, the more I realized... it was a nightmare.

I slowly crawled out of the bed in my room and walked the five feet to the next door next to mine where Logan was staying and opened it. I said his name once or twice quietly and earned no response other than the sounds of him still in a nightmare.

Walking further into his room, I could see him laying on his back in the bed. I sat down at the very edge of it and placed my hand on his shoulder, shaking him lightly. "Logan?" My voice was a little louder. "Logan it's Marie, you're dreaming," I said and shook him a little harder.

His eyes popped open and the next thing I knew, I felt the most sharpest, excruciating pain in my chest. I shrieked, looking down and seeing his claws in my chest. As he actually began to wake up and realize what he'd done, he let out a holler for help.

Logan pulled his claws out of my chest and I stumbled back some, but he kept a grip on me, his hands on my body through my clothes so he wouldn't be affected by my power. "Y-your power... y-you c-can re-r-regenerate right..?" I asked in my southern accent.

Wolverine nodded his head and with that I jerked my glove off with my teeth and placed one lone finger on his cheek. Within seconds, the holes in my chest started to close and when I felt I had taken enough of Logan's power, I dropped my hand... he fell to the floor unconscious. I hollered out, too now, for help. At long last, the Professor, Storm, and Scott appeared.

"What happened?" Storm asked and I sniffled, 'an accident' for the first several minutes, then I was finally able to go into detail with what happened. After all, she wasn't Jean, she couldn't read my mind. "It's alright, Marie." The Professor said to try and calm me down.

"Your power worked just as I believed it would. You took enough of Logan's power, his life force, to sustain yourself and you stopped before you were able to do damage to him. I am proud," he admitted as Logan started to come to. He looked up towards me, blinking rather rapidly.

"What the hell happened..." and that was when I couldn't really face him anymore. I couldn't tell him that if I'd have held on a couple more moments I would have killed him... so I ran out of the room, into a huddle of students outside of Logan's door, including Winter.

"Come talk to me," Winter said softly and with her, I went back to her room, so I would have a friend to talk to about this. I figured the Professor or Jean would find me soon enough...


	10. Connection

"He was hollering out in his sleep and...these walls must be so thin that I could hear him in my room," Rogue said quietly as she sat upon the bed in my room there in the X-Mansion, telling me of what had just happened in Logan's room. "I went into his room, and starting saying his name from the second I stepped foot inside," she went on.

"I sat down on the edge of his bed and shook his shoulder, telling him it was me, and that he was having a nightmare. Then the next thing I know, I'm standing there, a few inches off of the floor, with his claws through my chest. That's when I asked him if his power was regenerative, since I remembered the Professor saying he had uncanny healing powers," Rogue was almost crying now, so I put a friendly hand on her knee, needing to hear the rest of it.

"Logan nodded, he was so scared...the look in his eyes, he knew he had just killed me. I took off my glove and touched his face only with one finger and I could feel the holes in my chest and back start to disappear. I could feel my energy was starting to come back and I knew I wasn't going to die. I removed my finger and then... he fell to the floor. I was so scared he'd be dead," that's when the tears really began to flow.

"Rogue, I know it was such a horrid experience," my fourteen-year-old self told the almost seventeen year old as I wrapped an arm around her and held her to me. "But at the same time, the Professor praised you for handling your powers and knowing just what to do with them in your time of need. Yes, I wish it wouldn't have happened and I'm sure Logan wishes the same thing...but look at the bright sides of it or you'll hate yourself forever." I explained and she looked a little confused for a moment. I'm sure she was thinking 'what bright side is there to almost dying?' but after a moment or so, her face showed she finally understood where I was going with that.

"I suppose Jean or Storm will come looking for me," Rogue said quietly and I shook my head no, which earned Rogue to quirk her brow at me. "Jean's been listening through me. That's why I wanted you to go through such vivid detail of what happened," I explained. Rogue yawned and curled up in my bed.

"Just as good I suppose," she started. "I'm so exhausted, I couldn't tell it all to someone else tonight. Not until morning." I could tell Rogue was definitely tired after all that had happened and now that she had been comforted, she needed the rest.

"You sleep in here tonight. It'll be nice having a roomie," I smiled and within seconds, she was making soft snoring sounds.

Logan's Point of View

I found myself in the medical lab, somewhere I was becoming more and more frequent with. Jean was running more tests on me now after Rogue had did...what she had did. "What the hell was it she done to me?" I asked and earned a response from Professor Xavier.

"Rogue's power is to allow her to borrow other mutants powers. I'm not saying she would grow adamantium claws like yourself, but you have an unbelievably remarkable healing rate and she borrowed that or she would have died, Logan," he explained.

"I feel like I died," I admitted, my eyes now closed as I relaxed for whatever test Jean was running.

"If she would have held out a moment longer, Logan, I believe she could have killed you." The Professor admitted. "Rogue's gift is very unique. I've never come across another mutant like her in all my years. Her power is quite unstable in itself but at least it's easy for us to manage...with no physical contact. If she were to have an active power that just blinking could activate or a change in her mood... we would all be in danger."

Not only did I agree with the Professor as I listened to him, but it seemed Jean did as well.

"You seem healthy as a horse, Logan," Jean admitted and with those words I slipped off of the doctor's table and stood, you could hear bones and adamantium popping as I stretched.

"I'm going to go see if she's alright," and without them saying another word, I left to go back upstairs and check on the girl I had almost murdered about an hour ago now.

I wasn't able to find Rogue in her room but I had a good hunch as to where she would be and I guessed it was Winter's room-the other new girl who would freeze time. I started my descent up a flight of stairs and met the girl coming down them.

Back to Winter's POV

"Where's Rogue," Logan asked and I smiled a bit. It made me happy to know he cared enough about her to go check on her.

"She's up in my room but, she's finally fell asleep after all that happened. I would wait until in the morning to check on her," I suggested and he nodded his head some.

"Is she okay, though?" Logan asked.

"Physically, yes," I replied. "But how would you be after something like that? She came into your room thinking she could easily wake you from a nightmare... it's no secret she's smitten with you," I admitted. I'm sure it was awkward for Logan-I was only fourteen, and Rogue was only a mere few days from seventeen.

"I've never done that to someone before, not that I can remember," Logan said, sounding apologetic right away. I nodded, I'm sure he hadn't done it.

"I doubt it would happen again. Now that it has, I'm sure you'll always sleep with an eye open and ears open, too." Immediately, he chuckled.

"You aren't kidding there, kid. I doubt I'll ever sleep again," I couldn't stop myself from laughing somewhat at that, too.

"I'm sure you will. I think the Professor should, and Jean, monitor your sleep one night. I have a feeling those memories you can't remember... surface in your dreams." It was when I said that, that Logan's eyes widened somewhat.

"That's why they're so vivid for you, isn't it?" I asked about the nightmares. "They feel so real that when you woke up tonight, that's why it was so easy to attack Rogue cause you thought you were attacking someone else..." My voice trailed off and I felt his hand take hold of my wrist, his nails slightly digging into my flesh.

"How are you doing that? It's like you're in my subconscious," I could see the look on his face. Was I really in his mind like he was suggesting right now?

"Logan, I'm not a telepath. I'm not Jean or the Professor..." I reminded him and looked down at his hand around my wrist.. I couldn't help but think that his touch was very warm and that I liked it but I was sure if someone saw him with his hand on me, well, either my bags would be packed in the morning or Logan's would be.

"Maybe I can just read people easily. The human brain has always fascinated me and it does so even more now that... that I have the gift I do and becoming what I am," I admitted and looked up, seeing that he wasn't taking his hand off of my wrist. "Are you thinking if you let go I'm going to run and scream bloody murder?" I asked and he started to take his hand off of my wrist.

"What else can you tell me that's in my head, or that you think is in my head?" Logan asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'll be up all night, let's go see what else is in your head," I suggested and started down the flight of stairs with him, back to his room. If they got mad about it, so be it. Nothing was happening between us...just the fact that maybe I could read his mind better than the Professor.

"I remember Jean and the Professor saying that once two people are connected the way they are, the Professor can hear Jean's thoughts from miles and miles away. So imagine how well he can hear her thoughts when they're side by side? Maybe all we have to do is find our connection," it was rather funny listening to myself suggest this because... I wasn't a telepath. How would it work if I didn't have those powers?

"It's worth a shot. I've got the rest of my life, kid," he admitted and I shrugged, not getting as upset as Rogue had begun to with him calling her kid. I was definitely still more of a kid than she was. "Something made me grab hold of you earlier," Logan said quietly and I nodded.

"Whatever you felt then, when I was in your head... that was the connection." I suggested and Logan agreed.

"Whenever I did feel it though, it might actually be a power Winter, because for a moment...I had sworn I heard your thoughts, too." That's what utterly shocked me. So was this an actual power developing? What in the hell was happening to me?

The two of us stared at one another for what seemed like forever and then suddenly, I felt his hand upon my shoulder, gripping tightly. The connection was there and I could hear him. I could hear him speaking pure as day even though there was nothing he was saying from his mouth. I closed my eyes and listened, listened to what he was saying within his mind and then I started to dig. I would get down to the bottom of this if it's the last thing I do.


End file.
